Our Guiding Principles &
Best Practices

Housing First: Our participants are housed immediately without any preconditions; once housed we work on stabilization by addressing the issues that led them to homelessness (E.g., participant does not need to be housing ready).

Harm Reduction: We focus on addressing the consequences of unhealthy behavior, until the participant is ready to address the behavior itself (E.G., needle exchange).

Low Barrier: At our interim and emergency shelter site we eliminate as many requirements as we can to ease entry (E.g., entrance does not require sobriety). Low barrier does not mean no rules.

Sonoma County

Services

Labath Landing

Labath Landing is Sonoma County's first Interim Housing site in Rohnert Park, CA. This program was launched in partnership with the City of Rohnert Park and DignityMoves.

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Petaluma Street Outreach Team

The HomeFirst Petaluma Outreach Team connects homeless individuals in South Sonoma County to permanent housing and emergency shelter. They prioritize those with severe vulnerabilities, offering intensive case management for up to 100 people at a time, alongside lighter support for others in need.

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Jeri and Sam, Sonoma Valley Outreach Team.jpg

Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team

The Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team is a partnership between HomeFirst and the Sonoma Applied Village Services (SAVS). The program is funded by the Sonoma County Homeless Coalition. The outreach team connects homeless individuals in Sonoma Valley to permanent housing and emergency shelter. It prioritizes those with severe vulnerabilities, offering intensive case management for approximately 40 people at a time, alongside lighter support for others in need.

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System Leadership

Landlord Recruitment Initiative (LRI)

HomeFirst matches landlords with individuals that are currently experiencing homelessness, but eager to establish roots. By partnering with us and renting your unit to those that we serve, you’ll find reliable tenants and play a pivotal role in transforming lives.

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Coordinated Entry System

Coordinated Entry is a streamlined system designed to efficiently assess the needs and strengths of any person experiencing or at imminent risk of becoming homeless and effectively connect them to housing solutions.

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Sonoma Valley and Petaluma By-Name-List (BNL)

A By-Name-List (BNL) is a comprehensive list of every person in a community experiencing homelessness, updated in real time. This information is used to coordinate actions among all local service providers to help move each person closer to permanent housing, and to evaluate progress as a community towards ending homelessness.

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Special Homeless Populations: Families

HomeFirst has hired a Special Populations Coordinator. Once yearly, this team member will collaborate with the City of Petaluma (who funds the position), to develop a priority population of focus. The Special Populations Coordinator will then carry a small caseload from the identified group, testing new approaches and developing new referral pathways. Through this position, HomeFirst aims to improve the system of care for the entirety of the priority population.

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